TOKYO: The largest faction of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which was led by slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on Thursday affirmed a policy of keeping its current leadership team intact.

At a meeting held at the LDP’s headquarters in Tokyo, members of the intraparty group also confirmed plans to leave the post of its leader vacant for the time being following the death of Abe and to keep calling it the “Abe faction.”

Ryu Shionoya and Hakubun Shimomura, both acting chairs of the group, will take charge of its management.

“We will band together and follow the will of former Prime Minister Abe,” Shionoya said at the meeting. “We want to maintain the name of the Abe faction and its leadership structure,” he added.

Abe’s wife, Akie, joined the early part of the meeting.

At an extraordinary meeting of some 20 Abe faction executives Tuesday, Shionoya proposed keeping the current leadership structure intact, which was supported by all participants.

Abe was shot while delivering a stump speech in the western Japan city of Nara on July 8 and was confirmed dead later that day.

JIJI Press